Belfast

How till spake Norn Iron (A guide to local phrases)

There's no better way to get to know the city and its people than to mingle with the locals and engage in a bit of light-hearted 'banter'.

So if you want to know the difference between a minger and a munter or why tea is different from tae, or add your suggestions, just consult 'How till spake Norn Iron' and you'll be talking the talk before you know it...big lad!

Here's our A-Z online guide to speaking the local lingo, like:

A is for...Ach: A regional word that's usually placed at the start of a sentence. “Ach go on.”, “Ach you know?”Arse: Bottom, bum. “A kick up the arse.”Ascared: Combination of the words afraid and scared. “I'm ascared of heights.”Aye: Yes. “Aye, I'll have a pint if you're buying.”

C is for...C' mere: A command. “Come here”Catch yourself on!: An expression, translated as “Get a hold of yourself!”, “Wise up!”Clinker: Similar to Beezer.

“My new bike is clinker.” (Eimear – Belfast/Glasgow)Coupan: Face. “Look at the state of the coupan on yer woman.” (Eimear – Belfast/Glasgow)Cracker: Good. “That restaurant was cracker”Craic: Fun, to have a good time. “The craic is mighty lads, get the beers in”

D is for...Da: Father. “I seen your Da in the pub last night”Dander: Walk. “Lets go for a dander”Dead-On: Good, decent, alright.

F is for...Faffin': Messing around, acting an eejit. “Stop faffin' around and do some work”Fegs: Cigarettes. “Can I have twenty fegs and a can of coke?”Fiddle: A Violin. “Get that fiddle out and let's have a sing-song”Fire: Throw. “I was out firing stones at the peelers”

“Get your lazy hole out of bed and go to work”Hoop: Bum, bottom. “That child has a face like my hoop”

I is for...I tell a lie: Expression, meaning you've made an error. “I tell a lie, I do remember who you father is”I'll do you!: Expression, meaning you're in big trouble. “I'll knock you out big-lad”, “You're going to receive a thump”Is that you?: Regional question. “Are you finished?”, “Are you ready?”Is your head cut?: Expression, meaning are you wise? “Why did you buy a chocolate fire guard, is your head cut?”

J is for...Jammie: Lucky. “That jammie sod just won the lottery”Jam Jar: Slang. Car. “I've bought a brand new jam jar”Jaunty: Tracksuit wearing moron, usually found loitering outside shopping centres with nowhere else to go. May also be sporting a bum-fluff moustache.

K is for...Keepin' Dick: Keeping Lookout. “Keep-dick for me while I rob this jewellers”Kex: Underwear.

“I have to go a buy new kex for my honeymoon”Kilty-Caul-Bum: Expression/song, meaning Kilty-cold-bottom, a Scottish gentleman with no underwear. “One for me and one for you and one for kilty-caul-bum”

O is for...Offie: Off Licence. “Let's go to the offie and buy some beer”Oul: Old. “This pub is really oul”Oul-Doll: Old Lady. “That oul-doll looks like your Ma”Oul-Lad: Old Man. “That oul-lad lives up our street”

P is for...Pastie-Lip: Someone with a big bottom lip. “Here comes pastie-lip with his new girlfriend”Peelers: Police. “The peelers do my head in”Poke: Ice-Cream. “Ma, can I have a poke with sprinkles on it?”Pull: Go on a romantic conquest, usually on a Friday and Saturday night at a disco. “Right, pass my aftershave, I'm going on the pull tonight”

R is for...Ragein': Angry, fuming. “£15 for a taxi, I was ragein'!”(Anna - Belfast)Ratten: Rotting, disgusting. “Those prawns were ratten”Reddener: Embarrassed. “I took an awful reddener when I fell off my chair”Right: Assertive, usually applied at the start of a sentence. “Right, I'm away home for my tea”Runner: Run away, flee with speed. “Here come the peelers, let's do a runner!”

T is for...Tae: Pronunciation - Tea. “Put the kette on and we'll have a cup of tae”Tea: Dinner. “Jimmy, your tea is ready”Tele: Belfast Telegraph, a Belfast newspaper. “Give me the Tele and a packet of crisps”Till: To. “Are you coming till the shops?”

V is for...Veda: Malted bread native to Northern Ireland. Lovely with some butter and cheese.

W is for...Wee: Small. Used by every single Northern Irish person. “Have a wee bun”, “Would you like a wee bag?”What about ye?: Greeting. “How are you?”Wick: Stupid, useless. “That new Glentoran kit is wick”Windee: Window. “Someone broke my windee”

27.05.2015BixieAll over UK (US too @times!)Emmm: same as uhhh or ummm when speaking/pausing
Twee: overly sweet/cute/quaint (very romantic films are twee)
Bleurgh: common expletive-means disgusting, same as "Ew!" or "Gross!" in USA. Can be used to express anger/depression/frustration too…

21.04.2015AranManchester"What time are we on?" as an grammatical variation from standard English when asking "What time is it?" (At least it County Antrim it was/is!)

16.04.2015Mark KellyAustraliaHow about "skinaferry" - very cold.
"How's about ye?" - how are you.
"See me, see her?" - used at the start of a statement to bring attention to your point (from memory).
Boggin - Dirty, Boggin awful - REALLY dirty.
These might be particular to County Down.

16.02.2015Dickie MillerPortydownOn yer bike - To tell someone to move along (can be used to friends or enemies)
Away with that - sort of 'like catch yourself on'.
Shes/its a qwur handlin' (qwur is pronounced like square without the s) - think it means that a situation or a job meant it was a lot of bother.
Ack sure yano(you know) yourself - usually said at the end of a lengthy dialogue as means to bring discussion of subject to an end.

26.01.2015John MoffattColeraine, Coleraine, United KingdomShe has a face on her that would cut tin meaning she doesn't look too pleased.
I'm away down the road meaning I'm away home
Just around the corner meaning its around the next corner which could be 3 miles away

05.11.2014annieArmaghWell my da would say i cauld ate a horse, or she has a face lak a weel skelped chiles arse, or i'll give ya a bat in the gub, or if ya go up the town al lave ya a bedral, or oul mealy mouth or gobshite, or newry nuck and a cavan buck.

13.09.2014Alex BeckVancouver, Canada"I have to put on myself" i.e. get dressed.
"Bain" person, short for human being.
Contraction "I amn't going." Rather than "aren't"
"chimley" for chimney.

31.08.2014JoannaBallymenaActually one of the better articles iver seen, but i believe that for 'Nuck' you mean probably mean 'nick' like 'That wa**ker nicked my pint' or at least thats how its pronounced. Ive also never in my life heard of 'Kilty caul bum' never heard of 'Poke' either... 'Peelers' ive heard of, but its not used a lot anymore most people round my area actually use the scottish adopted 'Here comes the polis'. Also 'naff' isn't used a lot anymore.
A LOT more correct than most of the other articles ive seen about our slang, majority of it is spot on.

27.08.2014GeorgeCanadaMy mother in law used to say someone that was waited upon for every whim was " laid and lifted" "Ach that Eileen is laid and lifted so she is!"

30.04.2014 DoireDerryAnyone trying to belittle Gaelic would show their ignorance of it by saying "Mahogany gas-pipe !!"
My granny would pronounce flure-floor...,dure-door....,windy-window,...agin-against. If someone was crying and blubbering she'd say "The snatters (bogies) were tripping her !!"
On giving someone medicine , or even a cup of tea on a cold night "This'll cure what aills yee!" or "this'll fix yee", "This'll put ye right"
The news was called "Jack Orr's". "Put on Jack Orr's'..put on the news.
"I see Mc Cormack's out" ...The sun has come out.
"In like Flynn" To get involved unhesitatingly.
"Get away the hell's gates from there" Leave that alone.
"It would've froze the tae in the pot" It was very cold.
"It was sweltering" ,"I was sweltered" .....very hot.
"Specky M'Gecky!" An insult to someone wearing glasses!
"Baldy bap!" ....someone bald. "Clute" someone left-handed. "Leaper" someone dirty. (prob from leper?), "sally rod" willow stick (saille Irish for willow). "Quare gayg," good laugh.

30.04.2014 CulchieBelfastAn untidy dishevelled place...a kip, a dump, or a hole
An untidy person would be said to look like "Flanders" or "the wreck of the Hespice" (unsure of the spelling)
The arrival of spaghetti in Belfast caused some consternation in particular !! Spagekki,and Bisketti both used !!
A person falling on their posterior might have hurt their; Hoop, Ring, Bangle, Ar5e, Bum, Star, Hole. !!
To someone tall...."...if you fell twice , you'd be in Bangor !!"
Nicknames.
A docker who got entangled in ropes whilst casting off an unloaded ship and was smashed against the ship's hull in Belfast was thereafter known only as "Champagne "!!! LOL!! True !!!
A Derry lad who reached puberty early was evermore called "Manar5e" ! He introduced himself to my brother-in-law as such!!
"Slim-Jim" ......he was over 20 stones...."Fat-Frank" from Ardoyne,......he was around 8 stones soaking-wet !!
A fat local doctor is known as "Moby-doc "...or just "Moby"
"Heart-attack-Joe" got easily excitable and irate over the littlest things!! And indeed as predicted retired after having a heart-attack !!
Another lad who has had on-going heart troubles is known to his friends as "Shit-heart" !!!!
Met a bloke they called 'Weir" . Thought that to be his surname.......but it later transpired that he had an under-developed left ear and the nickname was actually "Wee-ear" !!!
Familiar greetings include "Alright sh1te-the-tights", or "Waddaboutyee scare-the-dogs!".....often to be countered perhaps with "Ask yer ma "! or just "Aye yer ma!".....urging the recipient to enquire of their mother !!
If you had no intention of doing what someone had just asked of you..."Aye ,Right!!", or "Haul-on dee-I finish this bap !!" or "See ya in the Beano !!", ..."Aye you've two hopes of me doing that for you, Bob Hope, and No hope !!"

30.04.2014 ConallBelfastBest one I've heard lately, shows how language updates and evolves.
Recently overheard a boy racer in Toomebridge boast to his mate about his car's exceptional road-handling. "Aye....she howls the road like a rat in Reeboks "!!!
Class!!
Sleggings are my favourites. To someone fat: "Some ned on yee"!! (ned kelly=belly!), or "Luckatda sizeayee", "Luckatda shapeayee"......even further shortened to merely "sizayee"!! or "shapeayee"!! A great way of making anyone feel bad about themselves ,with great economy of effort !!!
To anyone with a big nose...."Some neb on yee"!....."Good job fresh air's free!!"....or "Budgie bake!"
To someone with a black eye..." Talking when you should have been listening ?"!!!
To someone with pronounced teeth "You could ate an apple through a tennis racket!!" . Bad teeth.."...a mouthful of broken delph!"
To someone skinny..."You're as broad between the shoulders as a herring between the eyes"!! Only lately got the implication of this on catching my first herring !!.......or "skinny-milink, melojian-legs!" ..presumably melodian ...a piano-like instrument with thin legs!!

30.04.2014 ConallBelfastMy granny would say: " If it's not the skebs (scabs), it's the skitters (dihorrea)" !!! and roar with laughter ! .It meant, if she had a medical complaint....she would shrug it off with the above saying, meaning " If its not one thing wrong with me it's another "!! Humourous resignation to an aliment !!
My favourite though , and it's got some hilarious responses lately........in the event of someone breaking wind violently....... she'd say..."Pull (pron. ull as in hull) them down ,and we'll all sh*t in them !!"!! Magic !!!

03.04.2014TashaBelfastAnd can't forget we don't say whore, we say huer lol, for some reason, this Iis often directed at animals as much as women "rex you oul huer, get back here so I can get this lead on ya"

03.04.2014TashaBelfastShabeen- An illegal drinking/ drugs den. "My ma's goin' till kill my da when she gets home, it looks like a shabeen in here". Frigger- Politer way of saying f*cker "how's your wee boy doin'?" "He's puttin' away, he's a wee frigger" Frig- Politer way of saying f*ck. "Ma can I take another one a them beers" "frig away off, you've had enough as it is ". My arse- To imply someones full of it/dead on "he told me he spent sixteen grand on that car","my arse". Raker-Someone who likes to tease others, often unmercifully "aye that Jim one's a raker alright, he gave John a new pair of gloves with the index finger cut out, after"fee lost his index finger when a metal sheet slipped in the yard". The yard- ship yard "I worked with that hallion in the yard twenty odd years ago". Hings- Things "what do you call 'em wee metal hings again the doctor hears yur breathin' wif? Wif-With "you cumin' till the shap wif me? Shap-Shop. What are you on about?- What do you mean "what are you blatherin' on about now?" Blather- To rant/ talk nonses "stop your blatherin' and carry at bag for me". At- Can mean that "at's right, he still owes me a fiver!" State of ye- Your a mess "look at the state a ye standin' there with a face like a slapped arse" A- Can be used to mean of "get a feg a kim, I'm of them now". Pure- can mean total "he's a pure wee dote". Space cadet- An eejit "I swear, he's a pure space cadet" Stinker- Some who doesn't take care of them selves/their kids/their house adequately "she's a stinker, hasn't washed the inside a her windee's for months"

03.04.2014TashaBelfastDon't know if these have been mentioned already, Face trippin'- To frown like you're in a bad mood "she just stood there with her face trippin' her like an eejit" As f*ck- instead of as anything, "he's stingy as f*ck" Rare- Unusual or in bad taste, to the point of making you cringe "did you see her dress, it was rare as f*ck". You wah?!- Instead of pardon, I must have misheard you. "I'm pregnant again" "you wah?!". Like f*ck- In your/his/her dreams. "Do you think you'll ever get back with him" "Aye like f*ck". Dead on- See like f*ck. "Haha you should get a dress like that" "aye dead on". Dead on can also mean someone is friendly and pleasent "he was always dead on with me". Depends on the tone/context which is which. Sound- Pleasent and friendly "awk that wee fellas' sound". Dead can also mean very "she's dead annoyin'. (Those of us with broad Belfast accents struggle not to drop our g's at the end of ing words). Tell us this?- Can I ask you? "Tell us this, what do you call the wee man who runs about in shorts all the time round here, even when it's lashin'?"

02.04.2014Some hallionYorkshire"Would you look at the cut o' her!" (She's not very well presented)
"Thon's cyat!" (That's terrible)
"Horse it into ye!" (Consume it rapidly)

14.01.2014Newry nukNew-YorkOck I'm away back to the scratcher (bed) them wee pinks are like balls of flour(talking about spuds) spucketing (it's raining).. If that one doesn't stop gurnin I'll giver sum thing to cry for. Right before you get a smack... Love reading all these, keep it coming.

09.08.2013paullisburn I remember back in the seventies winding my gran so badly she lost the bap and yelled yell i'll draw my hand across your bake ya bloody wee shite .16 i told her she looked like 1690s lady , 16 at the back and 90 up the front .

30.06.2013Ed ex BelfastIsle of Man ,Face like a scalped arse trans not the most attractive or when someone is not very happy looking. Balicks pronounced ba-leeks derivative of the English bollocks. Your talkin balicks!. He's a Wing nut trans an eejit, idiot. Mustard as in he's mustard, getting into thing or upto things he shouldn't .

13.06.2013MollieNorn Iron, portadownYou'll do what with your handbag, son?!- usually said to a falla that threatens you or something similar, making them sound like a girl with their handbag? Anyone heard this before??

04.03.2013MichelleUSA/New Jersey, Haddon TownshipLoving every one of these. Haven't heard gurnin' in ages. "Stop yer gurnin' or I'll give youse (sounds like 'yiz') somethin to cry about." How about stocious for senselessly drunk, often used with a tinge of disgust "Ugh, bloody stocious, so he was!" And keek "laughed so hard I keeked my pants." Duff for bum, usually when you've been shirking your work too long "Right, off yer duff." This is a really ancient one, my mom used to say "clocks" for afeared cockroaches, don't know if anyone uses that one anymore. "Go fix yerself" is what you're told if you're unkempt in the eyes of your disapproving companion. "You see him?" when pointing out someone usually not in a flattering way "You see him? He's a crook!" Boats for a large-footed person's shoes "You could sail to China in those boats!" "Away on wi youse," for dismissing someone who's annoying or when you've had enough of someone's hot air. It's good fun to read all these, such great character and wit amongst the folks of NI. Thanks everyone xx

07.01.2013CeriMerseyside,"Get a move on, or I'll put my toe up your hole." Hurry up, or I will plant my boot in your bottom. "Ach, ya wee skit-ter" Affectionate terms addressed to a child.Also, any term, when said in a strong Northern Irish accent, can mean drunken. For example: "You should a'seen your ma last nite, she was trolleyed." But you can substitute anything for trolleyed. "Your ma was treed" "Your ma was rugged." "I was near turned looking at it" means I was totally disgusted."you've got a face on you like a busted boot" (you look like an angry child who's not getting their own way." you've got a face on you like a Lurgan Spade" (you look very sad).

01.01.2013JackNorthern Ireland, Belfast"Get tore into" imperative, instruction to do better, to be more competitive: coach to football team "get tore into them lads": parent to children "yous get tore into your homework before your tea."

20.12.2012AlanNI, ColeraineCommon phrases-'The craic was 90' ( good fun)'Yer doll'( the woman)'Right sham'( alright my friend)'Sir' ( used by limavady/Derry people to grab attention informally)'Fierce/powerful/ wild'( adjectives used to describe surprising events)'Yer boy'( used for men both young and old!)

25.11.2012StewartNorn Iron, ColeraineIt may also be useful to note that quite a few of the words have more than one meaning.Like dotin - someone dotin over their kids looking after/centre of universe. Alternatively it could be yer dotin meaning that their forgetful or going insane.OrRite, could mean - auh rite, as in oh is that true (with a sarcastic undertone). Alternatively rite used on its own is a greeting like what bout yeOrOi, good one this oi as in what you doing, what did you do that for, or getting someones attentionTheres so many to others it can sound like an entierly different language. As I found out in north wales, they spoke in welsh and I obviously couldnt so I spoke like would of back home and none understood. So long story short yea the way we speek in norn iron can also be used in this manner :)

20.11.2012Marie McGrathCanada, Breslau, ONOne I've not seen (unless I missed it...sorry) is "Stick it up yer fawn jersey." The meaning is clear, but I've never known its origin. Is "fawn jersey" team-related, or just something arbitrary and, by inference, bloody shite?

07.11.2012maryBelfast,Oh here, Im all cut. Meaning embarrassed. Can be used along with 'the quick'. Im cut til the quick, so i am.

27.10.2012Amynorthern ireland, ballymenascunnered - bored, grumpy ( this day is shite, i'm so scunnered!) chaul - a really annoying person (you're a right chaul) yee - you (state of yee!)

24.10.2012craignorthern ireland, east belfast"I got a new big yoke yesterday"- I got a new vehicle yesterday. "Hoke'd the fucked outta it!"- raced it about the place. "Yer man lashed rings round him"- your guy was vomiting around himself."She took him till the cleaners"- as in a couples divorce, the woman won the divorce got all assests and left the guy with 'not a penny to his name'(nothing).

08.10.2012PeterN. Ireland, BelfastBoke: to puke, to vomit. Used about babies but also adults.

08.10.2012Donovan TildesleyCanada, VancouverA few more I picked up on a recent trip to Belfast.Blocked: Very drunk. "Aye, wee Stevie was right blocked at The Bot last night." Bollocks: Testicles.Burley: Rough; hungover. "I feel a wee bit burley this morning, that I do."Kip: A nap.Smicks: Another word for chavs.Thon: Used to refer to a woman?

08.10.2012Jacqui mc CormickEngland, MerseysideGeg

08.10.2012AmbroseNorthern ireland, BelfastBate - as in u beat somebody in a fight, or look at da bate'a him, or over using a word 'you bate dat out ages ago'

08.10.2012NicNorn Iron,Hoke- to hunt, nosy i.e. 'I'll have a hoke through my wallet at the checkout for twenty minutes before finally paying'

02.10.2012ConorNyory,What about gobshite? As in "thon is a gobshite, there's an awful want in him"Other choice turns of phrase include "I'll wring you by the roots" and "Here, I'll take ye outside and bate the box o' ye"

03.05.2012JackCo. DownGaunch should be in this meaning idiot obviously."Shut up ye feckin gaunch!"

24.04.2012Joan.N IrelandThe word scundered. Means. Embarrassed.

01.04.2012Kate C.Northern Ireland, BelfastI believe 'Quid' was left out which is actually a very popular NI term for a pound - 'Give me a quid.' People in Northern Ireland are also fans of rhyming things aren't we? You're having a Giraffe - means a laugh, Taty bread - Dead. Or potato bread - which is delicious when fried. Moses' sandel - the door handle. Jimmy riddle - a piddle.

19.02.2012SammyEngland, London"Scundered" Had it done for caught out Fu@k#d!

07.12.2010alantexas, houstonwe also tend to answer our own question in the same question - "here mate, ya wouldnt have change of a fiver would ye, no?" " Have ye ever been down to Newcastle, no?" or even in these examples, we have already decided that people dont have what we are looking for "ya wouldnt have a light?" "here mate, ya wouldnt take-is ta shaftsby square?"

06.12.2010MatthewNorthen Ireland, Belfastswall - drink had a wee swall at the weekend

08.10.2010Ad GreenN. Ireland, BelfastSkitters - diarrhoea. Them kippers were boggin' - they gave me the skitters for 2 days.

21.09.2010ConortIreland, manchesterNorn Iron is not slang - it is the way it is pronounced in a North Accent if you do not pick up on the middle intinations

20.09.2010ouleejitspain, Malagalove it! Have lived in other countries and realise just how daft we must seem. Thoughts 1/ some phonetics or 'sounds like -' might help. 2/ does anyone know to monologue of 'norn iron spake' that starts 'we were sittin in the middle of our dinner when Billy stuck his heed through the door! ' 3/ what's the difference between a 'ganch' and a 'glipe' lol

09.12.2009MayBelfast, BelfastScundered means fed up in some parts of Norn Iron! Think you needa fix that 'un.

24.11.2009SophiaN. Ireland, Derrystoke - n. a thief, or annoying individual; v. to steal/borrow something. 'Let me stoke your pen a minute.'afeared - similar to ascared (but better). 'I'm not afeared ey you hi, big man!'baltic - feckin freezingbeamer- similar to reddener, but up a notch on the sun scale.tinkers - people of the travelling community/ gypsies or gypos-more slang.

21.10.2009jamesynorthern ireland, carrickferguswhat about "i will batter your mate"As in i will kick the s***e out of your mate Great list had a good laugh

12.09.2009MeganArmaghYou forgot the almighty 'quere' as in "thats a quere bake ya got on ye there, so it is"And "AM I TE F**K?!"/"WILL I BY F**K""Stop yer blatherin"'Heifer' a young cow, also a big boned girl "Shes a right heifer so she is!""Big Milly""Took a beamer" - Get embarassed'Gawk' as in to stare:D Hope that helps x

26.08.2009PeterUK, Belfastwhat about slabberin and slaggin as in "you slabberin/slaggin wee boy?"

13.08.2009LeahNorthern Ireland, Bangoryou've missed out 'so it is'- every person in the country adds that on to a sentence i.e ''its cold so it is'' lol x

30.07.2009DonnaCanadaDon't forget swanky - "that new coat's dead swanky, so it is" "ach, away on, sure it's just a wee scrap from yer man down the market, and it's a wee bit tight 'roun' the oxters as well!" and my Mum's favourite - "would youse give ma head peace or I'll belt you one across the lug hole?"

30.07.2009RyanNorway, BergenWhat about, 'your man' as in ''look at your man over there staggering about the street''. or a mix with:''somebody not wise' meaning someone stupid, as in ''look at your man staggering about over there in the street like somebody not wise''The phrase 'whispering in your own ear' as in ''get that wee boy to speak up, sure he's whispering in his own ear!'' to speak quietly.There are also the classics: 'give ma head (or heid) piece' as in ''woman, will ye not give ma heid piece!'' to stop badgering or interferring and of course 'fry' as in after a night out in Belfast ''sure ma heids near killin me, i could do with a big ol' fry'', for the ultster national breakfast meal...***all inspired by my dear mum from Belfast now living near Larne.

19.07.2009LouiseNorn Iron, BangorWhat about "Nah" as in No or "Hat" as in he's a good looking guy.

20.06.2009LiamThe Netherlands, LarneYour hed's a marlie. Your head is a big marble, empty,(Belfast)Your a big scunner. You are like a big herring gull gobbling everything in a disgusting way, disgusting manners or person(Larne)I'll break your windies. I will break your windows(Belfast)